


Snippets Out of Time

by sightandsound3733



Series: Guns For Hire AU [1]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: AI as Humans AU, F/F, F/M, Gen, Guns For Hire AU, M/M, Mercenaries, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-02-22 14:32:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 61
Words: 19,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2511128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sightandsound3733/pseuds/sightandsound3733
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Various snippets and stories of varying length and subject that fall in and out of time with the mercenaries and those closest to them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Observations and Contemplations- North & South Dakota (Bonding)

**Author's Note:**

> Just a collective place to put all the little requests for the GFH AU that I get asked to fill over on Tumblr.
> 
> Summary: North and South bond over him pining hopelessly for two of their fellow mercenaries.

“You’re being pathetic again.” South drawled lazily, not looking up from the process of taking apart her assault rifle. North huffed a sigh, tearing his gaze away from the pair he’d been watching across the room, glancing down to where she sat cross legged on the floor beside him. She had her various weapons spread out around her like an array of toys. Which probably contributed to why some of the new hands around the hideout were a little bit skittish to approach the twins.

“I’m not doing anything.” He frowned at the scoff she tossed him in response. That scoff never bode anything well for him. At all, ever.

“Yeah, I know. That’s why you’re pathetic. Cause you’re not /doing/ anything.” South set aside the brush she had been using to scrub out the grime from the barrel of the gun. “Would you please just go fuck them already? For fucksake you’ve already screwed them both on their own, it’s not like you need to divide and conquer or anything.”

“Can you not talk about my sex life like that?” North sighed heavily, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. “Or, you know, at all? That’d be wonderful.”

“I call them like I see them.” South grinned sharply up at him, running a hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face. The light hit a scar along her chin, giving her already predatory smile just a bit more of a boost. “And I can see that you want to fuck them both, at the same time, and you’re too much of a pussy to do anything about it.”

“Love you too, sis.” North rolled his eyes, looking back out across the floor. Wash was helping York treat a rather nasty burn on his arm, looking torn between a mix of exasperated and helplessly concerned. “And I don’t want to fuck them.”

“Liar!” Her voice was shrill and he winced. For the moment he was quite glad most of the others regarded the two of them with a sort of wariness. It was nearly guaranteed no one was listening in on the conversation. “You are a dirty fucking liar, and an idiot if you think I don’t know what it looks like when you want to have a go at someone.”

North bit the inside of his cheek to center himself as annoyance flared a little too hot in his chest, and a little too close to anger for his liking. He sighed and then knelt down so he was on the same level as her, meeting her icy blue eyes with his warmer set.

“If you’d stop running your mouth, I’d explain, South.” The low, careful tone of his voice was enough to catch her attention. She was his twin, she knew him better than anyone, just as he knew her and she knew he was being serious right now. “What I meant was that… maybe I wanted something more.”

A burst of laughter ran across the room and North was helpless to stop himself from turning to look because that was York’s laugh. He was barely aware of the smile that softened his expression.

Wash had finished patching York up, and he was smirking at the thief, working through the process of addressing his own injuries. He had stripped off his jacket, revealing well toned arms that were also well marked with pale scars, the worst of them a thick, winding mess that ran down from Wash’s shoulder. North had memories of how those scars tasted that came easy to the front of his mind.

The smirk on York’s lips was wide and bright, and from the look on Wash’s face it was quite obvious that the older of the two was making some lecherous comment. Wash looked to him and responded with a smirk of his own and York’s answering grin was like someone had lit up the room with stadium lights.

“Something more?” South deadpanned, her gaze having followed his. “With them? Are you fucking kidding me?” North sighed, letting himself sink to the floor completely, leaning back against the wall.

“South, don’t.”

“No come on,” She turned to face him, frowning but not in her usual ‘Wow I’m surrounded by idiots’ way that almost seemed permanent to her face. “North, we don’t have the life to want more. Especially not with people like us. Especially not with them.”

“What’s wrong with them?” It was probably an indicator of just how far gone he was by how defensive and angry he allowed his tone to get. South rolled her eyes, picking up the pieces of her rifle and started to put it back together efficiently.

“It wasn’t an insult, asshole.” Her fingers moved nimbly and he let himself watch them as she talked. “York is the riskiest guy I know. It pays off for him more often then not, but he’s a hazard to himself and anyone near him. Wash included in that.” She glanced up at him, pausing in her work as she eased her barrel back into place. “The kid’s good at what he does, we don’t call him Recovery for nothing alright? And usually the only time he gets hurt or fucks up is because he was with York.”

“What’s your point South?” North asked quietly, meeting her gaze. He knew all this, intimately. Knew the chance of hearing a  wayward beacon one day about York or Wash or both getting hurt, getting shot, getting killed… He knew.

“My point is, I don’t want you getting hurt.” South set the gun aside. This was the side of his sister that only he ever saw. And it was one she did not let out in the open lightly. He sighed, reaching up to rub at his eyes again. “Okay? So fuck them, as much as you want, but God North be smart about this. Don’t do anything stupid.”

North couldn’t stop the soft laugh that bubbled past his lips. “Little bit too late for that, sis.” He glanced back across the room. York was unusually serious looking at the moment, inspecting a bloody gash on Wash’s arm with a frown. Wash looked unbearably fond, blond hair falling over into his eyes as he smiled at York, saying something soft to him.

“Ah, fuck.” She groaned, pausing mid reach for one of her larger pistols. “You went and fell for the Thief and Recovery. That’s just fucking great. Nice job North, A plus.” Despite her words and the exasperation in them she leaned over to brush their shoulders together. It was her way of telling him that she had his back, even if she thought he was being the world’s biggest moron.

North smiled to himself, sighing quietly. Yeah. He was kind of fucked when it came to those two.


	2. Who Runs the World? (Girls)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie muses over being one of four powerful women on a skilled team of mercenaries, and how that only seemed to be to their advantage with the lot they'd all chosen for their friends and co-workers.

It really wasn’t easy being one of only four girls in a male dominated team.

One might think that would because of unwanted sexual advances or the blatant immaturity of the majority of the opposite sex. Or maybe the problem would be sexism, the whole male versus female stigma of strength and power. But no, it was neither of these. CT wished things were as interesting as that.

But no, sadly the stupidity that she had to deal with was much more mundane and simple. The fact was simply that the men she worked with, while completely competent in their fields of work, and downright brilliant in their specialties, were scared of their female teammates

The thought was amusing on some levels, to know that South carried more fear into a room some days then Meta managed to haul over his beefy shoulder, or that the men literally stepped back to clear room when Texas walked past.

It’s not like the boys wariness was unfounded. After all, Carolina was Number One, their unofficial leader, and that was the undisputed fact of things. Texas was the best fighter they had and the stealthiest merc on the market. South and her guns were things to be feared, she never missed her shot, even without North around to help her out, and CT herself, well she always liked to let her knives do the talking for her.

Still though, the way they were almost all wary of their female teammates was just a tad bit pathetic.

CT didn’t bother to look up at the new sounds that signaled the arrival of mercs back from an assignment, her attention steadily stuck on cleaning bloodstains off her daggers. She didn’t need to look up to know who was entering. The heavy drag of chains on the floor was enough to let anyone know that Meta had returned. It wasn’t long before South’s voice carried loudly into the room, followed by the lower tones belonging to North.

“We didn’t  _need_  Recovery.” South was sneering. CT arched an eyebrow at her reflection in the blade in her hand. She didn’t know Wash had been called out. He didn’t usually work with the Twins, they didn’t really seem to need his special brand of work. They had each other to fall back on, and they never missed their targets.

“Who would you rather I had called?” North asked with a tired sigh. “You and I can’t hack the intel systems they had. I’m a sniper South, computers are not my specialty unless you want me to shoot at it.”  

“That doesn’t mean we couldn’t have handled it on our own!” There was a flat, sharp sort of sound, South had just shoved North back and away from her, before she was storming off. North sighed and took off after her, at least that’s what CT assumed had happened. She still hadn’t bothered to look up.

Only the quiet shift of weight at the table was enough to make her glance up from her work. She wasn’t too surprised to see a quiet Wash sitting across from her. He didn’t say a word as he reached up to slip off his helmet. She frowned at seeing the dark bruise that was swelling at his cheekbone and the blood running from a gash low on his neck.

“What the fuck happened to you?” She asked flatly. Wash sighed heavily, seeming to sink into the table with exhaustion. CT’s frown deepened. The set of his shoulders told her all she needed to know. South had been bitching the whole way back from the assignment no doubt and Wash hadn’t said a fucking word to shut her up, even though had it been anyone else but one of the girls he would have told them to fuck off and thank him for saving their ass.

This is what she meant about the fear being pathetic.

“North had me on standby and then called in the beacon. I showed up and South threw a fit, knocked me on ass and into a wall. My cheek got bashed against my helmet when I hit the concrete.” Wash shrugged, grimacing as the movement irritated the gash. “And the cut’s was just a hazard. Meta was taking care of a guard while I was hacking in and he didn’t see him throw a knife at me. I just got knicked.”

“That’s not a knick, idiot.” CT rolled her eyes at him, pushing off the table to go grab one of the first aid kits. She caught his little, tired smile and she rolled her eyes at him again. Wash was such a moron sometimes that it was almost easy to forget his skill in the field.

She grabbed a kit and sat back down, on his side of the table now. He was smart enough not to waste her time, slipping off his jacket, giving her full access to the damage. She moved quickly, her fingers light and nimble as she inspected the wound before popping open the kit.

“Did you finish the mission?” CT asked, knowing the answer. It was still nice to see the flash of indignation flash across Wash’s face at the mere insinuation that he had been called in and they hadn’t succeeded. “Then you should have told South to shove it.”

“I can’t do that.” He sighed, just as tired sounding as before. She huffed her own sigh back, taking out a few strips of gauze and some sterilizing cream. “Connie, don’t look at me like that.” Wash was so close to pouting at her, she could feel it. He was ridiculous. He was also lucky that he was one of the few mercs allowed to still call her that without being slapped and or maimed.

“It’s just South. You need to stand up to her, or she’ll treat you like a doormat forever and you’ll keep getting thrown into walls.” CT applied a liberal dose of the cream onto one of the gauze pieces, reaching up to clean the wound as gently as she could manage.

“The fact that she can throw me into walls is enough of a reason to not piss her off more.” Wash shot back with a slight wince. His hand found it’s way comfortably to her thigh, letting her know he wasn’t wincing because of her, just general aches and pains.

“You’re such a wimp.” CT set aside the sullied gauze, watching a moment to see if the blood would well up again. Satisfied with her work at subduing the cut she applied clean gauze to the area, reaching blindly into the kit again to draw out the bandage wrap. “Lean forward a bit.”

He did so without complaint, letting her have free reign to bind the bandage as she saw fit. CT worked quickly, tying off her work with a neat little finality and pulled back from him, but not far enough to pull out of his personal space.

“What?” He asked, blinking questioningly at her. She swore she could see pure exhaustion in those grey eyes of his, and her lips wanted to twist into a frown. How much blood had he lost by not telling South to fuck off with her yelling and let him get back here for some medical attention?

“South’s not gonna stop unless you make her. Why the fuck do you think she doesn’t bother me?”

“Because you’d throw your daggers at her and turn her into a human dartboard.” Wash deadpanned, his lips twitching up, just at the corners. CT let herself smile at him, soft and genuine.

“No, idiot. It’s because I know how to handle her. So you should really listen to me when I tell you a thing, because I’m always right and we both know it.” She grinned at him brightly. “I know everything, remember?”

That got a laugh out of him and CT sat back contentedly. Good, she’d gotten what she wanted. A patched up Wash and a smile. Her work here was done. She turned back to her knives, rolling her eyes fondly as Wash picked up one of her longer stemmed hunting style knives and started to play with it, just the way she taught him to.

They didn’t talk anymore, didn’t need to. Slowly the tension seeped out of Wash’s shoulders, and he started to help her clean off her tools in the silence, which was only interrupted when Carolina came storming in, followed by a rapidly apologizing, and rationalizing, York. He’d almost, the key word seeming to be almost, botched a holo-lock, from what CT could tell, and had cost them time on a mission run and Texas had gotten to the objective first.

Wash winced in sympathy as Carolina spun around and said something very softly to York, something that was also probably very threatening from the way York went ramrod straight, seeming to shrink under her authority, even if he had a good foot of height on her. CT merely laughed softly to herself.

Moments like that were always fun to observe from a distance.

And in spite of it all, she knew that even if being one of four powerful women on a team where nearly all her male counterparts were scared of her was sometimes the most annoying thing ever… she wouldn’t trade them for anything else in the world.


	3. Making Bets- Wash/North/York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wash and York are making bets again, and North is just trying to get some reading done, okay?

"No, it doesn’t count."  
  
"Are you fucking kidding me? That so counts!"  
  
"How does that count? Carolina is an interference, and therefore voids the bet completely."  
  
"There are no rules that said it had to be purely on their own merit!"  
  
"It was clearly fucking implied, York."  
  
"That’s not fair. North!"   
  
North sighs, looking up from his data pad with a small smile at his two lovers. York was pouting over at him with wide, pleading eyes, and a dangerous pout. Wash just rolls his eyes from where his head in resting in York’s lap on the bed.  
  
"You know I don’t approve of this."  
  
"Just make a ruling, please?"  
  
"…Fine," North sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Wash wins because Carolina stumbling on Maine and Delta in the kitchen while Delta had a hand curled in Maine’s collar does not inherently prove whether Delta holds the reigns or not and also, we shouldn’t be betting on this."  
  
"Told you."  
  
"GOD DAMMIT."


	4. Collar- MetaData (Maine/Delta)

Delta isn’t quite sure what it is about Maine’s collar that draws him to it.

Before everything, it was terrifying. This big hulking shadow of a man that didn’t speak much, and always seemed to have someone else’s blood stained into his close, his approach only detailed by the faint clanking of chains hitting against each other as he moved. 

And after…

After it was trust. It was security. It was something sturdy to curl his fingers in to quell their shaking as their lips met in the quiet of his room. When his hands curls at Delta’s waist, big and sure and all too capable, Delta’s hands grip at the collar.

It becomes a focus point. The cold metal becomes as welcoming as home, and the feel of it’s plating is almost a reassurance under Delta’s fingertips.

It becomes so much more when Maine presents him with the key.


	5. Hate and Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Locus and Felix have an interesting relationship, no matter where it is they seem to end up.

"No."

"You can’t say no. You don’t even know what I was going to say."

"It doesn’t matter. You never say anything of importance and more often than not what you’re spouting is some ridiculous plan or scheme that is more effort than it’s worth."

"I hate you."

"And I you."

"…No you don’t."

"No. I don’t."

"…Good."


	6. New Additions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time York had a job with the Informant.

"Don’t scare him."

"Why Carolina, I would never!"

"Florida."

"…Not even a little?"

"No! Leave York alone."

"York is standing right here," York chimes in with a small wave, looking between Carolina and the stiff line of her back and the smiling man dressed in dark blue standing across from them. 

"Please behave?" Carolina asks of the man she called Florida, but that York knew of as the Informant. "Because I’m going to have to listen to him bitch if you traumatize him, alright?"

"You have my sincerest promise that I will not do a single thing to damage the newbie to our littleteam, and your dear friend, Carolina," Florida’s voice is warm and kind, his smile wide and bright and yet… 

And yet York can’t help the shiver that runs chillingly up his back, slipping like ice into his veins and setting every nerve of his on edge. Carolina just sighed and rubbed at her eyes which did fucking nothing to help ANYTHING.


	7. Florida and his Pups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eta and Iota are growing up, taking jobs, becoming mercs in their own right, and they're doing it all behind their brother's backs. Florida is there to watch it all happen.

She walks into the base giggling.

Florida smiles over his cup of tea at the sound, closing his book and looking all the world like he’d just sat down in the common room, not like he’d been waiting to hear from the twins for hours.

Iota sighs, running a hand through his curls as he follows after his sister, smiling a bit when he see’s Florida. “You know, I blame you,” he says to the older man.

"For what exactly?" Florida arches an eyebrow at the fourteen year old. Eta pulls off her helmet with a smile, her dark curls tumbling out from underneath. She kisses Florida’s cheek in greeting as she sits down on the couch next to him, crossing her legs with another laugh.

"Ignore him. He’s just bitchy because I got the kill before he could."

"You could have blown the job," Iota counters with a sigh, taking her helmet from her lap and tucking it under his arm along with his. "She was supposed to distract him and then I was to get the head shot from my post. But not. She didn’t like what he was telling her so she smiled, blew him a kiss and slit his fucking throat." He frowns at his sister, pulling on her curls. "You were supposed to let me shoot him.”

"The client didn’t say that he had to be shot. Just that he had to die. Potato, potahto, it doesn’t matter, Io."

"What was he saying to you?" Florida asks, curious. 

"He was just lying out of his ass," Eta shrugs, running a hand through her hair. "Tried to sell me faulty information, swore on his mother’s life it was true. I decided to take his own instead, his poor mother shouldn’t have to suffer."

Florida smiled in response and Iota groaned because that meant he approved. 

"Whatever, I’m going to find Reggie. I know he’ll side with me."

"Reggie likes me best!"

"Maybe if you could handle a rifle!" Iota calls back, smirking at his twin. Eta sticks her tongue out after him as he goes. Florida can only chuckle softly. He really was quite fond of them both.


	8. Just Fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theta's out on his first job as a mercenary and South is doing just fine. Okay? She's fucking fine, you guys.

"Would you please stop pacing?" Connie didn’t even bother to look up from her debriefing packet for her next job. She didn’t need to to know that her girlfriend was still working the same rut into the floor that she had started hours ago.

"No, fuck that!" South sent Connie a sharp glare, the deep blue of the dyed bits of her hair flying wildly about her face. "I’m going to continue to pace until fucking Washington calls my comm and tells me how my fucking kid is!"

"You gave North all this shit about how Theta was ready to start taking jobs and how he needed to have faith in the kid. And yet here you are, being a hypocrite."

"North was smothering him. I’m being adequately worried. Theta doesn’t think before he acts."

"Pot calling the kettle black, don’t you think, South?" Connie sighs and sets her packet aside, getting to her feet and catching on her girl’s hand. "Babe, come on. You know Theta is gonna be just fine. You and North trained him well, he’s a great sniper and a good fighter. And he’s got Wash tailing him. He’s gonna be fine."

"… Then why can’t I stop worrying?" South sighed and relaxed into Connie’s touch, letting the smaller woman pull her into a tight hug. 

"Because he’s your kid. And as much as you know he can do this, you’re still gonna be worried as fuck until he’s back in the base, safe and sound." South didn’t respond, but Connie had to smile when her arms came up to fully complete the hug. 

Things were going to be just fine.


	9. Birthday Blast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eta and Iota celebrate their birthday.

They spend the day with their family.  
  
Birthdays were on the few things they always knew for certain. Written plainly on the birth certificates that showed up with each of the children with the nanny sent to take care of them, their birth dates were the only things solid about their parents that they had.   
  
Celebrating was always fun. Epsilon would bake a big cake for them both, half chocolate, half vanilla with butter cream frosting. Omega and Delta would give them their gifts, Sigma would tease them, Gamma would smile warmly and Theta would tease at blowing out their candles before they could.   
  
It was nice, and simple and consistent.   
  
Birthdays got bigger when they got to know the mercs.   
  
More presents, more people, more fun.   
  
They were seventeen now. Mercs of their own and fully capable in their abilities much to the distress of their brothers. They spend the day with them, and it’s simple. Reassuring to their siblings and it’s a nice day with those that they love.  
  
But the night?  
  
The night is theirs.  
  
They dress up (Or down in Eta’s case really with how little of her dress there actually is), gear up in the lightest way possible, Iota with his darts, Eta with a butterfly knife tucked high up on her thigh, and they slip out of the base to Errera.  
  
Getting in is no problem, and once they’re there they can only look at each other and grin.  
  
"Happy Birthday bro," Eta laughs, leaning up on the very tips of her heels so she can brush a kiss to Iota’s cheek. His chuckle is low as he kisses her cheek in return.  
  
"Happy Birthday sis."  
  
They linger together for a few moments, catching eyes and gazes of more than a few interested patrons and then with one last grin shared between them they’re gone, off to find their presents for themselves. 


	10. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It started as a joke from their brother, and it became their routine for comfort.

The tags were a birthday gift from Sigma, given with a smirk and a joke about how how if only they’d been labeled when they were babies it would have made things so much easier. For all this joking though, they know he’s pleased when they both put them on and almost never take them off. 

They’re eleven when they get the tags. 

They’re twelve the first time Florida and Wyoming start to sneak them out on jobs. 

They’re thirteen the first time they’re separated. 

Wyoming needed Iota as an extra gun, and Florida had planned to take Eta out on his own so help her refine her close counter work. They hid it well, but they were incredibly anxious about being apart from each other on a job. 

About an hour before they were both set to leave Eta takes Iota’s hand and drags him into her room, slips off her tags and hands them to him. “Give me yours now.”

Iota blinks at her and smiles, slipping his own tags off his neck and trades them for his sisters. “Be careful,” he mutters to her, pulling her into a tight hug. “Don’t do anything flashy just to make Florida smile, okay?”

"I’ll see you later," Eta kisses his cheek with the promise. "Go kill the dude, okay? Don’t let Wyoming pull the pompous British "Let me show you how it’s done chap" crap, kay?"

Iota laughs, nods and drops a kiss to the top of her head before letting her go. She slips on his tags, winks and then pulls him out of her room and back to where their mentors were waiting. 

The cool metal of the tags is familiar against skin and with the weight there comes comfort.


	11. Amber Alert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Omega remembers Alpha. Or rather, he remembers the hole he left behind.

He remembers him.

Faintly, barely, just a collection of hazy memories shared between just a few of them, the ones older enough to remember, to know the name they never speak, and one that never quite leaves their minds.

Omega remembers. Remembers dark hair and gentle blue eyes. A bright grin, sharp and quick and charming. Remembers a hand taking his and guiding him, showing him how to be a big brother, how to take care of Delta and Epsilon. How to calm Sigma, who was fussy even as a child, and how to soothe Gamma through nightmares. Alpha, his big brother. 

Remembers birthdays and holidays, a string of nannies and closed doors and adults that just came and left and no parents in sight… but there was Alpha. 

Until there wasn’t.

Omega can’t remember when he left, or why or how. There’s a block of time he doesn’t remember, and all he knows is that one day Alpha was just… gone. 

He knows Delta and Epsilon remember, knows that Sigma has the briefest flashes of moments where he can almost see their missing brother. Gamma was just a toddler, Theta and the twins not even a distant imagination. 

So much as changed since someone had held his hand and been the one to guide him, but that doesn’t matter now. There was no Alpha. He was gone, could be dead for all they knew, and Omega was doing just fine being the big brother that everyone needed from him.

Even if it was a role he was never supposed to fall into this way.


	12. Flick of the Wrist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie loves York, he's a great friend and she knows that she can trust him with her life and more. 
> 
> Doesn't mean she likes working with him.

"You’re fucking kidding me, right?" CT demands hotly, glaring at York as he works on the lock into in the main terminal of the compound. "You have the codes, York, what’s the problem?"

"There’s no problem."

"Then why aren’t we in yet?" 

"…Connie has anyone ever told you how pretty you are? Cause you’re pretty."

"York."

"I’m in the system, it won’t open and I don’t know why, okay?"

"York!"

"I’m not doing anything!"

"That is the fucking problem!"

Alarms went off, loud and blaring in the halls and between the second it took for Connie to curse and reach for her knives, the terminal doors hissed open. York looked up at her and from behind the visor of his helmet she knew the fucker was grinning. 

"See? All in."

"I will kill you."

"…You’re pretty?"


	13. Trust What You Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you work with the Informant, you need to know the facts.

Working with Florida was… interesting. 

Connie knows that she’s the only one that has even come close to scratching the surface of the information that he didn’t care that people thought they knew. She knows his name (willingly given, so it’s probably an alias), a close estimation of his age, and that he likes to skin his most favorite victims. She knows some of his body dumping grounds, knows the shiver that runs up someone’s spine when his call name is uttered in the bars downtown, and she knows when the edge to his smile is amused and when it’s tipped with poison.

She also knows that she will never find out who he really is, or the true extent of what he does, but she knows enough.

Enough to be wary of him. To know that if given the reason he would turn around and take them all out without a single hesitation. She knows enough to be scared, and to use that fear to steady herself when she works beside him.

Because she also knows that Florida is the fucking absolute best at what he does and that, at the moment at least, they are on the same team and that she can trust him with her life.


	14. Shopping (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shopping trip with Sigma, Maine and Delta. It was always going to be an interesting combination.

"I hate this," Delta whispers to Maine, holding tight to his hand as he eyed Sigma moving through the racks of clothing. Maine chuckles softly in response, dropping a kiss to the top of Delta’s head. 

"Relax, he’s just going to pick out a few things for us to try on, that’s all," Maine reminds him softly. Almost as if he was being summoned, Sigma breezes back in front of them, several shirts clearly made to fit someone thin like Delta. 

"Alright, five shirts in any color other than green. Go."

Delta arches an eyebrow at him. “And for Maine?”

Sigma smirks, shoving the shirts into Delta’s arms, causing him to drop Maine’s hand. “Well clearly this is my thinly veiled attempt to tell Maine that he should forgo clothes all together.”

Delta’s eyes narrow sharply and Maine just rolls his eyes. 

Always the fucking same when it came to Sigma.


	15. Shopping (Part Two)- Maine/Delta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of the shopping trip.

"Kill him. I’m going to kill him."

"You’re not going to kill him."

"…I will hire Wash to kill him."

"No, D."

Delta sighs, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. “He needs to stop. It’s not funny, I hate it and I hate hating my brother!”

"So just talk to him," Maine soothes softly. "Or ignore him like I do. The only reason he keeps doing it is to get a rise out of you."

"This behavior is infantile and immature!"

"And so is Sigma!"

"Wow," Sigma’s voice cuts dryly into their conversation from behind them. His dark red eyes are narrowed at the couple. "So nice to know you have such a high opinion of me, Maine."

"I call my opinions based on actions," Maine turns to meet Sigma’s gaze, not even fazed by the attitude that he met head on, though Delta had gone tense at his side. "And your actions just clearly prove that you’re still a child. You do know your petty brat behavior is better suited to little Eta and Iota, right?"

Delta gaped as Sigma’s face flushed red and his mouth snapped shut to twist into a scowl. He had never seen his brother speechless before.

God he was so fucking in love with Maine.


	16. Illegal Attraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigma laments over the attractiveness of the mercenaries... maybe one in particular.

The mercenaries were all unfairly attractive.

Now, Sigma knew that if he were to voice this thought out loud it would garner an eye roll from Omega, Epsilon would smirk and snicker like the shit he is, and Delta would just sigh at him, like he could barely even stand to put up with it all. 

Whatever.

Didn’t make the statement any less true. 

It’d been a few months since Theta adopted the Wonder Twins, otherwise known as gorgeous blond one and scary fucking gorgeous blonde two, and since then every single gun for hire that they've met have been like drop dead gorgeous. 

Which… was a bit heavy handed considering they actually made people drop dead for a living… Meh, still works.

Sigma noticed them all, from Carolina with her flaming hair, and eyes that burned like any one of his siblings freaky luminescent colors down the line to even Wyoming with the admittedly awesome mustache. Gorgeous, all of them, like what the fuck?

But none fit the bill more than Maine.

All tall, built muscle, quiet grace in the way he moved with a gentle sway of his hips, carved cheekbones set into a face that was too soft and lovely to be made from stone, and intense eyes that seemed to burn straight through him. God Sigma was practically drooling just thinking about him, and the way he’d stopped dead in his tracks the first time he’d seen that for hire in particular with his helmet off.

It wasn’t fucking fair. He was sure it had to be illegal.


	17. Five Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonds form between the most unlikely of brothers.

Five years.

That was the age gap between them. Five years. 

The same amount of distance between the two of them as there was between Theta and the twins. It didn’t really make a difference though. 

They’d always been close. Sigma had been the baby for so long, just younger than Epsilon by a year, that to have someone younger around was the absolute best. 

It baffled their older brothers. Quiet, sweet little Gamma, and fast talking, quick to speak whatever thought crossed his mind Sigma, always seeming to coexist in harmony.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theta gets dropped off for some time with the Twins and stumbles upon a worrying situation.

Theta waved to Omega as he jogged into the base, backpack tight in his excited grip as he moved. He was so excited, getting to spend the whole weekend with North and South. 

He scanned himself into the building with the bio-scanner Connie had put in and slipped off his helmet so he could run inside to find them. It had been a few weeks since he’d seen them, the both of them busy with solo jobs and then a few paired ones, and he was super excited to just hug them and spend some time with them.

Theta was all smiles and excitement when he ran into the main common room, expecting to see North and South waiting for him, and stopped in his tracks with what he was greeted with instead.

South was there alright, but she wasn’t happy. She was curled on the couch with Connie, her face buried in the brunette’s neck and her shoulders shaking with what looked like tears but… South didn’t cry. Theta bit down on his lower lip, looking around for North anxiously before moving toward the couch. 

"South…?"

Connie looks up at the call of her lover’s name and she blinks in surprise at the sight of him, but South didn’t seem to hear him, which does nothing to make Theta feel more at ease. South always listened to him. Silently, he moves closer to them.

Theta sets his helmet and his bag aside, climbing onto the couch with them, his hands, reaching to curl around South’s. “South… What’s wrong?”

His touch seems to be enough to catch her attention, for she’s pulling back from Connie with sore eyes. She hastily wipes at them and then offers him a shaky smile. “Hey, T. Sorry, bud. Forgot what time you were coming over.”

"What’s wrong?" Theta asks again, frowning at her, worried, his stomach churning. "What happened, why were you crying?"

South looks ready to protest, but her voice catches and she just sighs. Connie smooths a hand over her back and the gentle way that South leans into her touch only makes the worry claw deeper in Theta’s chest. He hadn’t felt like this since the time that North dropped by the house to tell him that South had gotten hurt in a bad job and—- Oh.

"It’s North…" Theta says more than asks, swallowing hard against the lump that’s seized in his throat. "Isn’t it? He… something happened."

South’s eyes shut tight and she nods and Theta’s eyes burn and he moves forward to wrap his skinny arms around her. He doesn’t know what happened, doesn’t want to know and it burning to find out at the same time. All he knows is that for South to be this upset… it had to be bad. 

Connie takes over then, very quietly and calmly explaining the bare details to him. North had gotten shot, knocked out a window and onto the roof of a neighboring building. He was hurt, bleeding a lot and he wasn’t waking up just yet. 

"He’ll be okay," Theta whispers to South as she holds him tight in her arms. He doesn’t know if it’s the truth, but it’s what he's clinging to. He needed North to be okay, like he needed South to hold him close. He needed them, and they needed him as well. 

That was just how things worked. And they needed North to keep working. South presses a soft kiss to Theta’s temple, mutters softly to him that she’s sorry she’s breaking like this, and Theta just shakes his head and holds her closer. 

Maybe if he held her tight enough he could hold her together until North was better.


	19. Ais in Aprons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Omega would make the best housewife, alright?

"All you’re missing now is an apron, Meg."

Omega rolled his eyes, not looking away from where he was checking a recipe from the book next to the stove. “Am I supposed to be embarrassed for knowing how to cook, Dakota?”

"No," She smirks, sitting on top of the island counter, legs folded as she scrolls through something on her data pad. "Why should you be embarrassed for being such a pretty little housewife?"

"Prettier than you," Omega smirks as he reaches for the spice rack, neatly organized by Florida within the last few days, and takes out a few different containers, adding what he needed to the bubbling pot of sauce over the stove. She could tease all she wanted, they both knew that when it was his turn to cook dinner every one was more than happy with the results.

And he’d look damn fine in an apron.


	20. Quiet Brilliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie's quiet opinions of a quiet boy.

He’s a quiet kid. 

At just fourteen he’s easily the most soft spoken and reserved kid she’s ever met, especially in contrast to his other siblings. Theta alone is just this loud and vibrant ball of sunshine, and Gamma… well he’s much more subdued. 

But the kid is brilliant. 

She’s never seen someone have such a touch with computers and electronics. Never expected him to drop by her workshop one day and silently sit (he was always silent now, never spoke a fucking word and it worried her so much. He used to talk before. Not much, and never loudly, but he used to talk) across from her. He watched her work on York’s helmet, updating the software and internal mechanics, yet again. 

After a few moments he reached across to pick up a circuit board and a small soldering iron and gets to work. She stops working to watch him and blinks in surprise as in two minutes time he’d managed to completely reroute the entire lock decoder mechanism that’d been malfunctioning on York for weeks.

Gamma offers her a shy smile and just keeps work, occasionally stopping to scrawl questions to her on an errant pad on her desk, which she was happy to answer for him. It was the first time she’d seen him smiling in weeks. 

Gamma was a good kid. Quiet, sweet, endlessly devoted to his siblings, and a mechanical and computer genius. It was nice to see that he hadn’t let that get lost along with his voice.


	21. Knock Knock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wyoming meets Gamma

"No, Eta dear, please stop, don’t cry…" 

The toddler in his arms looks up at him with wide, teary blue eyes and Wyoming has a moment of panic and really doesn’t know why anyone left him alone with a small child when there’s a soft laugh and someone is coming up from behind him.

"She’s looking for Iota," The young boy comments quietly. Eta recognizes the voice clearly before she blinks and twists in Wyoming’s arms, reaching toward him. The boy just smiles and easily takes her from Wyoming’s grasp. "Hi E. Don’t cry, you know he’s with Delta, we’ll be going home soon."

Wyoming watches, astonished as Eta merely buries her face in the lad’s neck and wraps her tiny arms around him. The boy just holds her close, soothing her with soft, gentle sounds. 

It had taken him all of two seconds what Wyoming had been attempting to do for the last fifteen minutes. The sniper can’t remember the last time he was this impressed.


	22. Learning the Basics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wyoming teaches Iota about guns.

His hands are small.

That’s the first thing Wyoming notices when he hands Iota the unloaded rifle. It’s late, about two hours after Delta and Omega had set the twins to bed. Off in the other corner of the range Florida stood with Eta, going through the different types of small handheld knives. But they didn’t matter right now.

What mattered was Iota and how small he looked with the assault rifle in his arms. 

"You remember how to hold it?" He asks the boy, watching with a small, proud smile as Iota adjusts his grip on the gun, cradling it in the crook of his arms, fingers sliding into all the right places along the body. "Very good. Now, tell me, where is the sight?"

"Up here," Iota lets his finger fall off the currently useless trigger, pointing to where the sight is mounted on the gun. "But it’s useless."

"And why is that?"

"Because only ninnies use the sight on an assault rifle. You’ll blow out your shoulder trying to use it in motion." Iota looks up at him, golden eyes sparkling as he smiles. "Though I would replace the word ninnies with something more appropriate for the situation."

"I know what you would replace it with. You spend far too much time with Tex if you’re starting to favor that absurd "cockbite" insult of hers," Wyoming chuckles, clapping a fond hand to Iota’s shoulder. "Now focus. If you do well for the initial run down, we’re going to start shooting today."


	23. Sweet Sentiments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eta and Florida bond in the kitchen over some cupcakes.

"No, come on, let me show you."

Florida arches an eyebrow as Eta plucks a cupcake from the plate and starts to spoon frosting into a piping bag. “You show me? That’s new.”

"You’re gone a lot," Eta smiles, shrugging at him as she starts to pipe icing onto the cupcake. "I get bored. Wyoming’s jobs are like, super quick. He gets in, he shoots the dude in the head, he gets out and then he’s home and he teaches Io how to do the same thing. But when you’re gone, I don’t have anything to do." She works swiftly and smoothly, and he watches as she works the icing to her will. "Can’t ask Wash or Connie for help, because they’ll go to D or Meg and I’ll be grounded for like, ever. So… I taught myself a few things."

"You know I can’t control the length of my jobs as often as I’d like," Florida tells her calmly, smiling as she finishes up, picking up the cupcake with a warm smile of her own. She presents the finished treat to him, with a gorgeous iced rose on top.

"I know, I just miss you, is all."


	24. The Training of Recovery Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigma doesn't take to basic training strategies well, but Wash is determined to teach him, no matter how long it takes.

"Again."

"There was nothing wrong with that last time!" Sigma glares at Wash, spinning the practice blade between his fingers. Wash rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. 

"You deviated from the form. Again, Sigma."

"But I got to the same results as you did," Sigma holds his ground, runs a hand through dark, sweat slick hair. "Why does it matter the way I do it as long as I get to the end anyway?"

"Because the way you do things could be the difference between getting a teammate killed or not," Wash responds sharply. "I’m Recovery, Sigma. You know what that means. My job is to be the reliable thing that everyone else can reach out to when they need help. You told me you wanted to do the same. But if you can’t understand that there is a way to do things then this isn’t where you should be. Do I make myself clear?"

Sigma’s lip purse tightly, but he nods, settling back into his starting stance for the form. He takes a deep breath and runs through each movement, this time with the correct sequence. 

Sigma can’t see it while he moves, but Wash is watching him now with a small smile. 

Recovery Two was coming along quite nicely.


	25. After a Job- Dr. Grey/Omega (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part One of Two

"Sugar…"

"I know."

"Do you?" Grey eyes him with a carefully arched brow, pausing in the act of stitching up the nasty wound in his side. "Because I’m starting to see you an awful lot and not in the way I’d like."

"I had a misstep, that’s all. I was looking to cover Sig and I got too close for comfort," Omega sighs, running a hand through his hair. Grey sighs softly, continuing with the work of stitching him up neatly and cleanly. 

"Sigma is supposed to cover you. Not the other way around."

"He’s mt brother, I’m going to look out for him," Omega frowns at her. She doesn’t say anything as she finishes up, doesn’t say anything until she’s pulling off her gloves and setting her suture needle aside. 

She meets his gaze, dark as it’s ever been and her hands gently come to cup his face. “Omega,” she mutters, voice soft and riding just above a whisper. “You need to be more careful. For your sake…and my own.”

"Em," He starts, swallowing dryly, leaning into her feather light touch. "Emily, you know I—"

"I know," Grey sighs, dropping his gaze for a moment. "I know. But please. For me, promise you’ll try to be more careful." Omega holds her gaze, takes note of the soft, genuine plea in her tone. After a few moments he nods, slow and careful and genuine with resolve.

"…For you."


	26. After a Job- Dr. Grey/Omega/Carolina (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part Two. Direct continutation of "After a Job"

The door to the med wing swings open and Omega sighs at the flash of red hair he can see from around Grey, a tell tale enough sigh even if it wasn’t for the amused little smile that crossed the doctor’s lips at the familiar clearing of the throat that followed.

"Carolina—"

"No. You do not get to speak right now," Carolina says sharply. "This is the fourth time this month you’ve gotten hurt like this. Stepping in to protect another merc, more often than not to protect Sigma, who is Recovery Two for a reason."

"And you thought I was going to lecture," Grey chuckles, pressing a quick kiss to Omega’s cheek before slipping away to go set away her needles. Omega just sighs again.

"Can I talk now?" He asks, meeting her fiery gaze. 

"No. Shut up," Carolina moves closer, hands flitting carefully, but sure around the stitched up line of his wound. She frowns, not in anger this time, but concern. She worried her lower lip between her teeth and Omega catches her hand with his own gently.

"Lina."

"You need to be more careful," Carolina threads her fingers with his. Omega sighs, nodding.

"I know. I already promised Em I would be." 

"Good," Carolina whispers to him, leaning in to kiss him gently. He can’t help but melt into it, into her, his rough fingers coming up to frame her face gently. He feels her smile against his lips. It makes him feel warm.

"That’s right, kiss the boo boo better. Age old remedy," Grey calls, bright and chipper, washing her hands in the sink before grabbing bandages from one of her many kits. "Now easy, Lina dear. I need to wrap our honey up nice and tight so his stitches don’t burst."

"As if they would," Carolina pulls back from him, offering her a small smile, leaning in to steal a brief kiss from her as well, fully aware of the smile that it would bring to Omega’s own lips. "You know your work is flawless, Em."

"Well yes that is true," Grey laughs, light and musical and her smile is warm. "But still. Can’t be too careful with either of my dears!"


	27. Mr. Not-Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delta and York have a special friendship.

"No."

"But Delta—"

"I said no, York."

"You know, for a nineteen year old, you’re like no fun," York rolls his eyes, slumping back on the couch. Delta fixes him with a dry stare and very pointedly motions to the two napping toddlers on the pile of cushions and blankets before them and the Disney movie playing in the background.

"I wonder why," Delta deadpans. "Not like I must be an actual responsible adult and care for the lives of two three year olds, and eight year old who’s best friends are two deadly assassins, a silent and anti social twelve year old, a bratty and problematic seventeen year old, and my two other brothers who don’t interact with any one outside of the family and who very rarely look away from their work. Oh wait."

York rolls his eyes. “Yeah yeah, you’re Mr. Not-Mom. Whatever. Doesn’t mean that paintball wouldn’t be fun.”


	28. After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wash feels groggy, Epsilon feels guilty. None of it is their fault, but that doesn't mean they're not feeling the blame.

Wash is groggy for days after he wakes up. He very slowly manages to work out what happened, gets the information that Connie had managed to compile from the files he’d brought back on his private drive, the ones his attackers hadn’t been able to touch. 

He’s fine, he knows he is. Got a full run down from three different medical technicians, and from his very worried lovers. He knows he’s completely fine. 

He just wishes someone could convince Epsilon of this fact as well.

When he’s allowed out of bed, the first thing he does is go to track the young man down. He’s curled up in the library, a book open in his lap, but his eyes are simply moving listlessly across the page. Wash rolls his eyes at the younger man and moves to take a seat beside him on one of the padded benches scattered around the room.

Epsilon doesn’t look up at him as he sits, but he does go tense and tight. Wash waits a few moments, to see if that tension will fade from his muscles, and when it doesn’t he can only sigh again.

"Epsilon."

"Don’t." The word is short, abrupt. Bitten off and choked. "Just—- don’t Wash. It’s… I don’t care what you say, I don’t… It’s my… I mean I…"

"No, it’s not. I don’t care what you’re trying to say here, none of what happened to me is your fault, Ep. It’s not."

Epsilons’s shoulders shake, and his hands are tight and pale on the edges of his book. Wash doesn’t say anything as he shifts just a bit closer, smoothing a warm and gentle hand over his friend’s back. 

The touch seems to be the last straw for Epsilon. His eyes clench tight and hot tears spill over his cheeks, splashing down onto the pages of the book they both know he wasn’t processing. They sit there in silence, the only sounds being Epsilon’s soft, hitching crying and Wash’s hand moving over his back.


	29. Knowing- Maine/Delta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maine knows Delta better than anyone else.
> 
> And sometimes that's the worst thing.

The best part about Maine is how well he knows Delta. 

How he can know with just a glance that something’s wrong, by the set of Delta’s shoulders or the way he’s lets his fingers latch and tangle with each other. Maine always knows when he needs to wrap Delta up in his arms, when he needs to hold him close and just silently remind Delta of where he is, who he’s with, that everything is okay. 

Unfortunately… this is also the worst thing about him.

He always knows when Delta is upset. Especially when he comes home bloody, cut up, bruised and someone with the occasional bullet lodged somewhere in him. The sight of his lover even marginally less than perfect and pristine has Delta’s stomach bunching in worry. And Maine knows, every single time.

No matter how hard Delta tries to smile and hold his hand and be supportive while he deals with the pain or with the frustration on the injury as was more often Maine just looks at him with this small smile and he just knows. 

Delta hates it. 

Because with Maine already fully aware of how unsettled Delta is when he’s injured it just makes when Delta curls around him in bed in the dark of the night, all the more obvious with how uneasy he is.


	30. The Basics Come First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigma isn't happy, Wash is annoyed and Carolina just wants to go to sleep.

Carolina rubs at her eyes tiredly, her head throbbing with an oncoming migraine. She’d just got back from the job from hell, had a fucking bruise that spanned the length of her entire back and it felt like someone had shot a bullet through her skull. Honestly all she wanted was to go lock herself down in her room for a few hours and just sleep.

But clearly that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon with how both of her Recoveries were intent on bickering in front of her. Or rather, Sigma was bickering, because Wash looked as exhausted as she felt.

"Sigma," Wash sighs. "For the last time, you’re not ready for a solo take as Recovery."

"For the last time, I am. I’ve been working for years now, I pass every test you fucking put in front of me and I still have yet to work solo! I don’t fucking need you to hover over my shoulder!"

"When Recovery Two needs Recovery, that’s not good," Wash shoots back with a roll of his eyes. "You’re too impulsive, you don’t properly assess the situations and you’re going to get someone killed because of it!"

"You want to talk impulsive? Then how about about Theta? My fucking little brother who’s been working active roster for less than six months and he’s had four solo jobs! And every time we’ve had to go in and play backup on his ass and yet no one says fucking word about Theta!"

"Theta," Carolina interjects tiredly, dropping her hand from her eyes, "Is an active combat sniper. He’s got a different specialty than you, a different skill set and he’s still very young. He also never fails his objective, Sigma."

"One fucking time!"

"You and I don’t get one time, Sig!" Wash glares at him. "What do you not understand about this? You and I do not fuck up. We fix everyone else’s fuck ups. That’s it, that’s the bottom line."

"Sigma, you will be rostered out on solo takes once Wash thinks you’re ready," Carolina crosses her arms over her chest, her head postitively spinning. She felt a bit sick honestly. God she needed sleep. 

”Or you could override him and just let me take fucking jobs,” Sigma turns to her, hands set firm on his hips, eyebrow arched in a challenge. 

"Not without Wash’s sign off," Carolina rolls her eyes at him. "You’re acting like a fucking child. Cut the shit, train a little harder and do your job and maybe then you’ll get some results. Ever think of that Sigma?"

"Carolina—!"

"Enough," She snarls at him, glaring as her head gives a particularly painful throb. "I am so done with dealing with this bullshit again and again! All you do is bitch and moan and I am in no fucking state to deal with it right now. You keep this up and I will pull you from active roster all together, how about that, Ai? Are you listening to me now?!"

He seethes at her, but he does it silently, hands clenched tight and red eyes narrowed. Carolina really couldn’t give any less of a damn.


	31. Epsilon, Meet Tex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epsilon meets his first of the mercenaries when dropping by the base to pick up Theta.

Epsilon eyed the gate to the compound warily. This was seriously where Omega and Delta had been letting Theta spend time? What the fuck? They knew he was coming by to grab the kid and the security systems had been deactivated. 

He sighed, pushing in on the gate and walking up to the entrance way, texting Delta a very succinct, ‘Dude, what the fuck?’ as he stepped inside the building. 

The main hall seemed to be a mass equipment drop of sorts, with various duffels, all black but accented with brighter strips of color, from gold to various purples and even a bright aqua thrown into the mix. 

Epsilon was damn sure he didn’t want to know what was in them.

He slipped off his helmet and walked inside like he’d been instructed to and tried to look around for a flash of red hair, for a Carolina, that’s who Delta had told him to look for to help him fetch Theta. But… there was no one around. 

"God dammit," Epsilon groaned, pulling out his phone so he could call his brother, rant again how they should just get Theta one of those dinky kid phones so they could just call him when they needed him, when a voice called to him instead.

"You lost, kid?"

Epsilon looked up, blinking around for the source of the voice and found it’s owner in the form of a slim, but fit blonde coming into the main room from one of the adjoining halls. She walked with a purpose, and while it was clear there was a hardness in her bones, she was smiling at him as she walked and just that small gesture was enough to soften the pretty features of her face.

"Uh, no," Epsilon ran a hand through his hair. "I’m here to pick up Theta? Pipsqueak of a kid, blond hair, probably attached at the hip to your set of twins or whatever?"

The woman nodded and there was a laughing sort of lilt to her grin now. “Yeah, I figured. He’s watching South and Connie spar with North, come on, I’ll bring you to him.”

"Thanks," Epsilon walked to close the distance between her, close enough now to catch the lightest dusting of freckles across her cheeks. Something about that made him think of Omega. He blinked and shook his head a bit to clear it. "I’m Epsilon, I don’t know if Theta mentioned who was coming to get him or whatever."

"The name’s Tex," She offers as she leads him back up the hall she came. 

"That your name, or your call sign?" Epsilon couldn’t stop himself from asking. She didn’t seem bothered by it, in fact the question got him another smile. 

"Wouldn’t you like to know?"


	32. Big Brother and The Bitch in Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Omega meets Tex.

She’s… something else.

He meets Tex months after the rest of the mercenaries, when it’s his turn to drop by to pick up Theta after a weekend with North and South. The weekend sleep overs were relatively new, but were quickly becoming staple in their lives for how happy it made Theta. 

Omega was waiting in the common room for Theta to gather his things, chatting idly to Carolina when he see’s her. Dressed head to toe in black, the click of her boots echoing as she walks. 

"Hmm," Carolina notes softly. "Tex is back early."

"Tex?" Omega asks, watching this new an unfamiliar woman walk through the base, one large duffel hauled over her shoulder. 

"She’s another merc. Been on a long job, cross country for about three months now. She’s home early," Carolina crosses her arms as she watches her too.

It’s the way she moves that catches his eyes. All smooth, sinuous grace, like she’s stalking prey or something, all of her movements seeming to stem solidly from her core. Her back is held straight, even under the weight of her bag, and each stride of her legs seems to be packed with power. 

There’s the telltale sound of Theta’s skateboard rattling down the halls and Omega has to sigh. God that stupid thing is going to be the death of him. Theta come skidding to a stop, backpack in one hand, helmet in the other, and instead of running over to meet up with Omega, he grins and beams and heads over to greet this Tex woman instead.

To his surprise she stops and pulls off her helmet, letting long blonde hair, just about a shade or two lighter than Theta’s own blond, tumble out in a messy ponytail and wow, she’s gorgeous. She drops her bag to the floor and leans down to grin at Theta and mess with his hair, greeting him and talking to him a bit before sending him on his way. 

Theta grins back at her, responding in tones surprisingly too soft to carry, an odd feat for the kid, and then scoops his board into his arms with his other things before running toward Omega.

"Meg!" Now his voice is carrying, clear and even across the room. Omega smiles at his brother, kneeling down so he can catch Theta in a tight hug. He missed the kid on these weekends, like you’d miss the sun on a cloudy day. 

"Hey T, you ready to go?"

"Yeah, just had to say hi to Tex. Haven’t seen her in like, forever. South said she wasn’t coming back for another two weeks so I wanted to say hi!" Theta chatters happily, as excitable at nine as he was as a toddler. 

"Yeah, Carolina was telling me about her…" Theta’s attention quickly shifts to Carolina still at Omega’s side, and Omega’s attention shifts to the figure in black, watching them from across the room.

There was something in her posture now, something tight and tense and maybe it was seeing someone who moved with her fluidity stand completely still or maybe it was the way she was staring at him with this sort of… confused furrow in her brow, but he couldn’t help but meet her gaze.

After a few moments she nodded to him, tight and terse and then she’s moving again. Omega frowns after her, wanting to call out, to get her to stay, and having no idea why he had such an urge. 

Tex. Huh.


	33. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> York meets Omega... and he's surprised, to say the least.

The first time he meets Omega, it’s an understatement to say that York is surprised.

It’s hard to believe that this guy is even related to Delta, who’s all lithe, quiet beauty with dark hair and small smiles, and Omega is… not that at all. He’s tall, built like Maine with a strong jaw and blonde hair that matches Theta’s, and with chillingly hard and dark eyes. It’s like he’s chiseled from stone and honestly, York has a hard time believing that this is the ‘Meg’ that Theta absolutely seems to adore. 

Until he see’s him interact with his siblings, and then it all clicks.

It’s the way he holds Eta on his hip and smiles warmly as she babbles to him, and the gentle way that he talks to Theta while helping Iota tie his shoes. It’s simple, sweet, and loving.

It’s clear that Omega is the strength to their family, the careful stability that holds them together while Delta tends to each sibling on a more intimate level. It’s clear that he would do anything for any single one of his brothers or sister.


	34. Brutal Harmony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maine and Florida should not be a good team, but strangely enough they work in simplest of ways.

Their styles were polar opposites. Their personalities even more so. Why certain clients felt that the sinuous finesse of Florida’s work needed to be to brutally reinforced by the strength of Maine’s blows was absolutely ridiculous. 

He didn’t need Maine, and Maine did not need him either. 

But Florida liked to work with the great hulking titan. Maine was quiet and focused, he followed orders well and he was a good partner. Florida knew that he could trust his life with Maine, not that he ever needed to. 

As much as they should not work in cohesive harmony together, they do. It was one of the unspoken little beauties of life if you asked him. 

And things unspoken do not need to be explained.


	35. Nuts and Bolts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lopez is a little lost in the merc base and his godforsaken team is wandering around aimlessly. When even they can't understand him who the hell is he supposed to turn to to find them?

"Hello, how may I help you?"

Lopez takes a moment to process the sweet voice that’s addressed him, his circuits spinning through data banks to try to place it. He’d been with the Reds to the base once or twice before, thought the had cataloged all the inhabitants, but this was a new voice, a new person. 

He turns to look and is met with the warm smile of a completely unfamiliar woman, dressed modestly, with a clipboard in her hands. She offers one out to him, addressing him again. “Hello! I’m Sheila, one of the organizers for this outpost. How may I help you?”

"I…" Lopez hesitates, looking around for a moment for any hide or hair of Sarge or the others, finding no one. He takes her hand and shakes it gently, knowing the odds of her understanding him are slim. "Estoy aquí con con los idiotas Rojo . Pero … No sé dónde han ido?"

Instead of the usual blank looks he was used to receiving, he got another smile. 

"I can help you locate them. I am not around the base all too often in person, but I am familiar enough that tracking down unfamiliar people will not be hard. Follow me."

She turns to lead them up a hall and Lopez just needs to take a moment to gape in surprise and wonder at this wonderful woman.


	36. Suspicions over South

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carolina and York meet Theta for the first time.

"Please don’t tell me you kidnapped him."

Theta giggles at the outrage that bursts out over South’s face at the deadpan accusation from the lady with the pretty red hair. “I didn’t kidnap him! What the fu— hell, Carolina?!”

"Don’t act so outraged, South," the man with dark hair with the playful grin and the cruel scars down his face chimed in from Carolina’s side. "It’s not that weird of a thing to ask when you show up to base with North hurt and a kid in tow."

"Okay, so the kid has a name, it’s Theta," South’s hand falls to his shoulder and Theta beams up at her. "And North found him. Or well… he found North?"

"North saved me!" Theta says with a gap toothed smile, eyes bright and sharp as ever. "I was in the park and these guys were shooting at each other and North saved me. I sat with him until South finished up with everything and then they brought me here. North’s gonna be okay, right?"

"He’s gonna be fine, kiddo," South smiles at him, ruffling his hair lightly, drawing gazes from Carolina and York. Theta just beams.


	37. Shopping for the Base

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> York drew the small straw, and Wash is a cheater.

"Why do I have to do it?"

York pouts as Carolina hands him the list and the credit pack set aside for base wide expenses. She just laughs in response to his pout, taking one last look around the kitchen for things they might need.

"Don’t pout at me York, I’m coming with you."

"But why do I have to do it?!"

"Because you lost the match with Wash."

"Wash cheated!"

"Turning you on in the middle of the match is not cheating," Carolina laughs as she turns to face him. "I don’t know why you’re bitching. I always have to do this. It’s not that bad."

"It’s awful! There’s ten of us! And the Ais! That’s too much shopping for just two people!"

"If the rank comitee could hear you bitching about this, they’d strip you down a rank just for you being a baby," Carolina rolls his eyes, walking over to him to take the list from his hands, grabbing the keys of the borrowed car from 479 off the counter as she walked. "Grab your helmet and lets go, York. We don’t have all day."

"This is going to fucking take all day," York grumbles, following after her with heavy shoulders, already thinking of ways to get back at Wash for cheating and subjecting him to the horror that was food shopping for the base.


	38. Opinions of Maine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ai siblings share their opinions on their brother's new boyfriend.

"He’s just so…. big!"

Omega laughs at Theta’s comment, glancing away from where he was stirring the sauce for that night’s dinner. “Yeah, he’s tall. But so am I.”

"He’s taller than you though," Theta reminds him. "Like if you put Iota on your shoulders then you both would be Maine’s height, but he’s still super tall! And super strong! He can pick up North!"

"Why did he pick up North?" Epsilon asks quietly, blue eyes hesitantly glancing up from his project of braiding Eta’s curls back while she and Iota colored idly together. 

"He didn’t," Theta waves him off, "but he so could.” 

That got even a quiet chuckle out of Gamma from over on the couch, which was a delight for everyone. Eta and Iota dissolved into quiet giggles, and Epsilon had to smile. 

Omega outright grinned as he worked, thinking that the only brother left who seemed to have problems concerning Maine was the younger of the two brothers with feelings for him.

Sigma always was the problem child.


	39. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His hands were always warm.

His hands were always warm. 

Whether it was when they were curled in bed together, early in the morning before he had to tend to the twins, fingers twined loose and lazy with soft smiles and loving whispers, or gentle touches as they passed in the hall of the base. 

His hands were warm like his lips were sweet, and they were forever steady and sure. Delta felt safe in those hands, rough and cracked, with the faint and pale scars that tore over dark skin, the burns that pockmarked his knuckles. 

When Maine came back to him from jobs he kisses those hands, as tenderly as he does Maine’s lips. He kisses his knuckles and joints, each and every finger tip. Delta washes blood from those hands and bandages each new mark that dares to mar his lover.

Those hands brought him pleasure and never pain. Those hands oh so often had him writing into the sheets of their bed, warm as ever, sure and steady like they always were as they travel over his body, mapping out memorized paths over the curves and angles of him. 

Delta was forever reaching for those hands, with love and passion, frustration and uncertainty, with gentle care and worried reassurance. 

And the day that those hands press a small, cold key into Delta’s own and his fingers curl obediently without question is a day that is as significant as the day that Maine would press a simple gold band there instead with the promise of forever. 

And, as always, his hands were warm.


	40. Big Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was always supposed to be someone else, another brother who he was to look up to and help. But Alpha's been gone for years and Omega has always tried to be the best substitute he could be.

He was never supposed to be the big brother. 

Okay, no that’s not quite true. He was always going to be a big brother, he was only two years younger than Alpha after all, one of the oldest always. But he was never supposed to be the BIG brother. The one in charge, who the others looked up to. 

Even Delta, for all that they were this partnership of sorts, looked to him for answers. Answers that he didn’t really have.

But he had to try. He would never be Alpha, could never be his brother… and he didn’t want to be. Alpha left them. Abandoned them. And Omega missed him with a hollow ache in his chest, a constant reminder of his lack of presence in the house, and the raw anger that nipped at nursed at that wound. 

He would never be Alpha, because he would never leave. 

Omega stumbles into his role of big brother, and Epsilon and Delta hover uncertainly at his back as he tries to fill the space in their lives. It’s hard at first. Delta and Epsilon are so close in age to him, Sigma as well, and he was already rebelling against the change in authority, for all that he refused to even refer to Alpha. And Gamma was just a baby at the start of it. Omega was ten, and he had no idea what he was doing for a good long while. The nannies that flitted in and out of their lives from their absentee parents helped. But he hated their presence.

It wasn’t until years later that things really seemed to click. With Theta. 

He was just… this little baby, with tuffs of blond hair (blond like him, god no one else in the family had blond hair, it was so strange to see, made him instantly feel like… this baby, this brother was his) and bright fuschia eyes that chilled and warmed him at the same time. 

He was only fourteen when he held Theta for the first time, but he wasn’t so unsure anymore. It had been years, he’d learned how to do this, how to deal with the adults in their lives that he didn’t trust, how to take care of his brothers, how to work as a unit with Delta. He could do it. 

And Theta smiled up at him in his arms, a wide, gummy baby smile and he giggled delightedly and Omega felt like crying. 

He was the big brother. He could do this. He would do this. 

And he would never let them down


	41. Shopping Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delta has no idea why he didn't just wait for Maine to get home.

"South he can’t just wear hoodies all the time," Delta sighs, holding firm and strong as Theta pouted at him over the pile of fabric in his arms. "Theta you need new shirts. T-shirts, thermals, long sleeved."

"Delta," South’s eye roll is verbal. "Lighten up, dude. So Pipsqueak wants to bum it in hoodies. Who cares?"

"I care," Delta cuts his eyes to her, thinking absentmindedly that he should be glad Theta wasn’t pulling over jackets studded with little spikes for all his little brother idolized the Dakota twins. "Theta, put them back."

South sighs when Theta looks to her and Delta dares her, fucking DARES HER to try and undermine him. He doesn’t care how much Theta adores her and her brother, he is still one of Theta’s guardians. 

"Sorry kid, you heard your brother," South steps out of line with Delta and goes to snag a few of the hoodies from the near toppling pile in the kid’s arms. "Come on, let’s go see if we can find something that’ll get Delta to unwind."

She walks off with his little brother, clearly making some teasing dig at Delta, and he nearly deflates against the wall. Jesus Christ why hadn’t he brought Maine along instead?


	42. What if...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> North and South worry over their Theta.

North bites sharply into his lower lip, smoothing a hand over Theta’s burning forehead, worry churning in his stomach as the boy, his darling boy, moans pathetically before coughing violently. 

"Oh Theta…" he mutters smoothing back sweat damp hair. "It’s okay kiddo. You’re going to be fine."

"North…" South mutters from the seat beside him, her eyes bright and glassy with tears. "North he’s… it’s so bad. Connie doesn’t know what they gave him…"

"It’ll be fine," North insists, his attention immediately going back to Theta as he coughed again, his whole thin frame shaking. "Our kid is gonna be just fine, South."

"What if he’s not?"

He didn’t have an answer for her.


	43. Placing Blame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Omega needs to set some things straight.

"What do you mean this is all your fault?" Omega frowns at his younger brother, trying to catch Theta’s eyes, unable to really move much from the still healing burns that marked his skin. "Theta, come on."

"It’s my fault," he sniffs, narrow shoulders shaking, blonde hair shaggy and hanging in his face as he pointedly stares down at the ground. "I… I over heard Florida talking to Connie. He… he thinks that the reason it was easy to find us, for this to happen was because of me a-and how I am with North and South. I…" Theta trails off, one hand curling tightly around his wrist, physically making himself get a grip to steady himself. "Other mercs know that I’m… theirs and that it’s… it wouldn’t be hard for someone to track back to the family and now—- Meg, I’m so sorry, I never wanted to be a problem and I’m sorry I don’t—"

"Theta Matthew Ai," Omega’s frown deepens as he sits up in bed. "Look at me. Right now."

There is a pause, a hesitation, but Theta does look up, revealing the thick, fat tears that are rolling over his cheeks, his eyes as bright and startling as ever. Omega feels like crying himself. 

"Oh Theta," he sighs, opening his arms for his little brother, motioning for him to climb onto the bed. "Come on, bug, come here."

Theta wipes at the tear and sniffs again, but he doesn’t hesitate to take Omega up on his offer, clambering carefully onto the bed and curling tightly into his brother’s arms. 

Omega holds him close, smooths a hand through his thick hair, soothing him softly as Theta cries into his chest. 

"Theta none of this is your fault," Omega mutters to him, holding the little boy tighter when he makes a noise that sounds like the start of a protest. "It’s not. You being close with North and South has nothing to do with any of this bullshit, I promise. This… this was going to happen eventually. I can just feel it.You have this amazing relationship with two amazing people is not the cause of any of the shit that’s happened to us, alright?"

"But Florida…"

"Florida is full of shit, and you know Connie told him that," Omega smiles as that gets a watery chuckle from the kid. That small sound was enough of a reassurance that Theta was going to be just fine.


	44. And Time Passes By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years have gone by and passed and Delta has to look up and ask "Where had the time gone?"

It genuinely came as a shock.

Time passes strangely around the base, either too fast to get a grip, speeding by in the flurry of life and activity that surrounds them, or far too slow, so that every minute seems like an hour, a day, a year.

Delta had spent so much of his life caring for them all and seeing them as his younger siblings, the babies of the family and of the mercs, always referring to them as “the kids” in his head that suddenly when he blinked and Theta was hauling rifles and snipers with ease, suddenly filled out and strong, his grin as easy as ever, Delta felt like falling over.

Theta’s hair had gone a bit of a darker blond over the years, though he still wore it in that boyishly shaggy style of his, sweeping it out of his eyes with a practiced hand as he talked excitedly, always grinning, always laughing, eyes bright and joyful.

Theta had never grown very tall, though he still had a handful of inches on South and Connie, which he took great pride in. His shoulders were broad and strong, toned from carrying and handling the rifles that he had been trained to use. He seemed to bounce as he walked, moving through life as though he never really quite came to a stop. He was charming and sweet, but there was a darkness there one that edged him, and it surprised Delta, that want, that need to protect, and the promise to do anything he had to to accomplish it. It was something that Delta often saw deep in Omega’s dark eyes. 

He was so caught up in watching his brother, trying to pinpoint when the clumsy kid on the skateboard suddenly was able to move with such finesse that he didn’t hear the gentle approach of footsteps, didn’t notice the new presence until he was startling at the quiet prompting of his name. He turns and is met eye to eye with the incredibly vibrant blue of Gamma’s eyes, lined by dark, long lashes and finely carved cheekbones. Gamma wore his hair shorter now, the ends of it curling up at the tips, looking perpetually windswept, for all that he rarely went outside the base. 

His voice, as quiet as it ever had been with it’s disuse, was deeper now. It resonated when he spoke, filling the space between whoever he was speaking to, almost seeming to calm the aura of a room. 

He wasn’t the scared little boy anymore, that much was clear. Somewhere along the line Gamma had become this brilliantly analytical, and quietly confident young man. Delta knows he knew all this, had watched him grow up into a young man, but he had never been… faced with it so suddenly before. 

Gamma was asking him about getting Maine to drop by his lab, no longer Connie’s, but Gamma’s now. He needed to run a diagnostic on Maine’s helmet, wanted to upgrade the software with a new coded hack he designed. Delta nods, promising to pass the message along, trying really hard not to marvel at his little brother and the ease with which his fingers were moving over the touch pad in his arms, typing at a startling speed over the screen. 

Gamma smiles at him, just the slightest upturn of his lips, but it’s warm and genuine, it softens something about his whole face. There is a muttered thanks and then Gamma is walking away, reaching out to tug on the back of Theta’s jacket, causing the younger man (and god they were men now, at twenty seven and twenty three, god what happened?!) to squawk at him and whine. Gamma chuckles and the sound is barely audible but it still makes Delta smile for how rare a sound it once was. 

There is a shriek of a giggle, high and musical as it echoes off the halls and a beat passes before a low chuckle follows it. Before Delta can blink, Eta and Iota are barreling into the main common area, laughing with each other as Iota chases after his twin.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going, E?” He grins at her, blond hair flopping into his eyes as he skids around the corner, Eta just slipping through his fingers as she dances out of his reach. 

“Wherever I want! Benefit of being faster than you, Io!” Eta whips around to tease him, grinning bright and beautiful. Delta feels as though he could stumble back as, like with Theta and Gamma, he’s staring at two fully grown people instead of the kids he raised from infants. 

Eta is stunning, a vision with dark curls that flow and move with her, a beautiful contrast to the vibrant cerulean of her eyes. She’s lithe and strong, fit with a woman’s curves and toned by Carolina and Tex’s training. She’s drowning in a shirt that’s practically falling off her, looking more like a dress on her slim frame.

“You can’t keep stealing my clothes,” Iota is grinning at her, standing spreadeagled across from her, hands on his hips. He towers over his twin, nearly doubling her height, standing equal now with Omega, built like their older brother too. Fit and strong and there’s no hint of the shy boy who used to hide his face in Delta’s shoulder when they went out in public. “You have like millions of clothes. I should know! I was there when you bought them because you dragged me along!”

“Your clothes are more comfortable,” Eta smiles sweetly at him, her eyes sparkling as she runs a hand through her hair. “You’ll get it back later!”

“No, I really won’t,” Iota laughs, voice deep and warm. Delta needs to sit down for a moment. He grins wider when he catches sight of Gamma, watching the scene with an amused little smile, and Theta with an outright grin. “G! You’re on my side right? I know she’s hoarding a couple of your sweatshirts.”

“I’m staying out of it Iota,” Gamma chuckles, brushing his hair back as Eta beams at him. “Why are you even bothering to try to fight it? It’s Eta, she’s going to get her way.”

“Yeah, come on, Io,” Theta laughs, grinning up at his younger brother. “You’re never gonna win. She’s had half the base wrapped around her finger since she was a munchkin. Just give in to her, man. Makes life easier.”

“I’m her twin,” Iota rolls his eyes, a deeper gold than they used to be, closer to the shade of a helmet visor, shiny and new. “I’m like the one person the planet resistant to her and it’s gonna stay that way otherwise she’ll let the power go to her head, and then she and Florida will rule the world.”

“If you don’t like how I do the laundry,” Eta smiles coyly at him. “Then you do it!”

“Okay one, stealing my clothes, is not doing laundry. And two, you lost the bet. I killed more than you on that last job, so you have to do it for the next two weeks. That was the deal.” Iota rolls his eyes again, but he’s grinning at his sister, clearly enjoying the little squabble just as much as Theta and Gamma were.

Delta could only hang back, watch and listen, fighting off the easy burn of tears that wanted to accompany his fond smile. They had all grown up, right before his eyes. Three of them into mercs, Eta and Iota ranked at the very top of the pile at just eighteen, Theta making a solid name for himself, and Gamma running it all behind the scenes. It was easy to forget that, to forget who they were and that they were no longer children, especially as they stood before him, bickering and laughing, just like they always had.

God…. Where had the time gone?


	45. Reliability

There were few things as reliable as Gamma.   
  
Wyoming knew that the minute he finished a job and sent in his electronic confirmation for a pay pickup that within the hour there would be a travel mark up for his trip back. He knew that his neck list of jobs would be vetted through the ranks to be looked over, printed and highlighted with points of interest and waiting on his desk in his bedroom for when he got back.  
  
He knew that there would be tea waiting for him, when he walked in and dropped off his gear, and a tray of ginger biscuits at the side.   
  
And he knew, most importantly that Gamma would be waiting in the kitchen with a smile for him, ready to help him unwind and talk over the job so he could really just put it all behind him.


	46. Cuddling Cuties

Connie has to smile when she looks over to the other end of the couch where Gamma was, miraculously, fast asleep, with little Iota curled up on his chest, asleep as well.  
  
She thought it was sweet how Gamma had taken over for looking after Iota while Delta was busy with Eta. Poor thing was sick with the chicken pox and the last thing they needed was Iota catching it too.   
  
Connie gets up from her seat to grab a blanket from the back of the couch, throwing it over the two sleeping brothers. Iota squirms under the added warmth, but Gamma just sleepily soothes him by rubbing his back until he’d calmed down again.   
  
She smiles before going back to her tech. Cute kids, cute brothers, and cute cuddles. If she didn’t adore the kids so much she’d so be taking pictures for blackmail.


	47. New Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theta arriving at the house as a baby sparked new things.

It had been about four years since they last saw a car like that in front of the house.   
  
Four years since Omega last felt that lump in his throat. Four years since Alpha left…or at the very least was gone.   
  
He’s in the kitchen when it happens, picking grapes off of the stems and throwing them into a bowl to be washed while Gamma colored at the kitchen table, intense about staying in the lines in a way that he knows Sigma wasn’t at five.   
  
The grapes are just about ready to be washed when Epsilon comes skidding into the kitchen.   
  
"Meg! There’s a car in the driveway!"

"Yeah?" Omega looks to his younger brother, frowning a bit. "So? Cars come by all the time to see Counselor Davis."  
  
"No Meg," Epsilon insists, his dark hair wild, eyes wide. "It’s one of  _the_ cars! The important ones!” Even with that it takes him a minute to get it and then he’s immediately moving out of the kitchen, grapes forgotten.  
  
"Stay with Gamma!" He calls over his shoulder, heading straight for the door.   
  
Sure enough, in the driveway was a large white car. They were always white when they were important.  
  
The car is not here to stay though, merely make a delivery of a tall woman with a boring grey helmet. She carried a suitcase with her, and was pushing a stroller.  
  
Omega takes a deep breath, steadying himself and trying to remember how Alpha had done this, how he had handled the nannies who came with their siblings and never stayed. He hits the button on the side of the door that will open the airlock so she can get inside before opening the actual door, with a charming smile at the ready for when she entered the house.  
  
Her name is Amy, she was clearly very young, and she was happy to be at the house. Omega smiles and charms her into the house, trying very hard not to look too eagerly into the stroller, wanting to get her out of the way before he did so.   
  
She carries two envelopes with her, one for the kids from their parents, one he knew would be filled with the same old crap that they didn’t mean, and a second one for the Counselor, one that they would never see, or know the contents of.  
  
He directs her up the stairs to the Counselor’s study, promises that he can handle the baby, he was thirteen after all, and she’s about to be on her way upstairs.   
  
"Oh!" Amy pauses on the stairs, pulling off her helmet, letting dark hair tumble out from a ponytail. She smiles at Omega. "The baby’s name is Theta by the way. A little odd, but it suits him, I think."  
  
Theta.  
  
Omega smiles at her and nods, but doesn’t make a move for the stroller until she’s gone. He searches for a button on the top that will unlock the mechanism that makes it safe for a baby to be outside in the damn thing and it hisses open once he finds it.   
  
In the stroller is probably the happiest baby that Omega had ever seen.  
  
Dark blond hair, and vibrant pink eyes, as strange as all of their eyes were. Yeah, this was definitely one of their brothers.    
  
Omega smiles warmly at the baby, at Theta, and very carefully gets him undone from the stroller. To his surprise there is no resistance, no panicking from the infant as a stranger takes him into their arms.   
  
"Hi Theta," Omega says softy, shifting his arms to accommodate Theta’s weight. He remembers how to hold a baby, Alpha taught him how when Gamma had come around, before the older boy had disappeared. 

Little Theta blinks up at him and giggles. God this kid was adorable. Omega smiles as he moves to sit on the couch in the living room, holding his new little brother close.   
  
This isn’t going to be easy, he knows that. Delta will take to things just fine, as he always does. Omega thinks he’d go insane is not for Delta most days. Epsilon… he wouldn’t be happy. He’s been waiting every day for years for Alpha to come back, and having a new baby instead… well it was going to be an issue, Omega was sure. Sigma was going to model his reactions after Epsilon, because that was just the thing he was doing lately and Gamma… well he’s not sure how Gamma would react. Probably wouldn’t care.   
  
Omega didn’t really care what their reactions would be though. Sitting here with Theta in his arms felt right. He wasn’t sure how it was possible, but he already felt a strong surge of love for the new brother in his arms.   
  
"I’m going to take care of you," he promises with a whisper, smiling as he leans down to kiss Theta’s forehead, making the baby giggle again. The sounds was like bells, he thought, and they made him happy.  
  
He’s not sure how long he sits there, grinning like a doof, before Delta is at his side.   
  
"Hi D," he says softly, watching as Theta looks up at Delta and giggles again, reaching out one tiny hand toward him. Delta blinks and then smiles.  
  
"Think we can handle this?" Delta asks softly, letting Theta take a grip on his finger. Omega could see that Delta loved him too already. He smiles.  
  
"Of course we can."


	48. Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> South has a bad day.

It had been a bad day.

Had started bad, waking up with the world’s worst migraine, and to an empty bed to boot. Connie was out on a job, wasn’t supposed to get in for a few more days and South was anything but fucking happy. And it had only gotten worse.

Burned her hand making breakfast, then burned her eggs and had to suffer through North’s big brother bullshit while he took over the job. They had to go out on a quick and easy hire, and it was going to be fine, but the little things were already starting to pile on.

Needless to say, the job was not quick, and it sure as shit wasn’t easy. Fucking Felix and Locus. She hated when they got counter hired by other bullshit douchebags, and she fucking HATED how good Felix was at getting underfoot. 

They got to their target first, and she made the kill, which meant she and North walked away with the pay, but she was also walking away with bruises from Locus, and North was bleeding from his thigh. Fucking Felix. 

York and Wash fussed over him when they walked in the door, and South tried really hard not to lash out and kill them all in her frustration. Not fair. Her girlfriend was away, and her fucking brother got to be coddled by his lovers (and getting the damn cut was his own fucking fault. Asshole.).

She threw her helmet at the wall and stormed away, stripping herself of her gear as she went. South held a strong determination in curling up in her room until Connie got back, and she didn’t care who needed her. 

…Except Theta. But whatever. The kid was the exception. 

It had been a bad day, like the absolute worst. So imagine her surprise when she returned to her room to find the door left open, and the small form of her girlfriend, sleeping on her bed. 

South blinks, surprised, and then just grins. Course she was back early. She closes the door behind her, sliding the lock into place before padding to the bed. 

Curling up with Connie, who didn’t stir even as South pulled her into her arms, instantly soothed all the bullshit from the day away. She wasn’t thinking about her brother or the job, she wasn’t thinking about her aches and her migraine.

How could she, when the only thing that really mattered was snuggling into her chest, fast asleep?


	49. Figure it out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delta and Omega try to keep a handle on things.

“We gotta figure out middle names.”

Omega’s voice startles Delta to attention, looking up from the tiny baby in his arms. Little Eta was sleeping, curled against his chest and Delta was scared to move too much, afraid he’d wake his sleeping sister.

“What?” He asks softly, blinking at his older brother. 

Omega laughs, walking to join him on the couch, cradling Iota in his own arms. He sits next to Delta and carefully shift their little brother in his arms. Delta had to be a little awed at how relaxed he seemed, even in the face of the new babies, and of all the excitement that had come with them.

“Middle names, D. We need to come up with their middle names,” he smiles. Delta blinks at him. He looked so tired. 

“Right,” Delta nods, his brain catching up. “Middle names.”

“Like Alpha did for us.” Omega’s voice is a touch softer now, his eyes turning sad. Delta bites his lip and nods again. 

“…We’ve never had to come up with a girl’s name before,” he whispers, looking back down to Eta in his arms. Omega laughs at that, the sound withdrawn like his gaze. 

“We’ll figure it out. We always do.”


	50. Running late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eta and Iota run into some issues trying to get home.

“Come on!”

Eta pulls on her brother’s hand, nervous for once as they approach the base. “Shit, we’re so late!”

“E slow down!” Iota keeps pace with her, biting on the inside of his cheek to keep from wincing as he walks. They were coming back from a job, and he’d landed wrong on his ankle. Hadn’t exactly made the trip back pleasant. 

“We can’t! Delta’s gonna be up soon and we gotta get back!” Eta hates that she know’s he’s in pain, but they couldn’t be late. Couldn’t let their brothers know they’d been taking jobs behind their back. 

They barely let the twins leave the house as it was. If they find out they’d been moonlighting merc work? Oh they’d never see the light of day again.

“What are we gonna do?” Iota murmurs as they approach the gate. “Can’t use the front… Fuck I wish Florida wasn’t away on a job.”

“He didn’t know we took the job,” Eta surveys over the compound before her. “We’re gonna have to like… break in and sneak to our rooms.”

Iota doesn’t argue, doesn’t protest. He just sighs. Of course they would.That was just their lives.


	51. Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some thoughts about Eta, from Iota's eyes.

You love your sister. 

She’s always been at your side, for as long as you can remember. Always there, always would be. It’s how things are.

When she smiles, you’re smiling. When she laughs, you join in. When she cries, you try to make it better, but you so often don’t know how. You’re older (only by five minutes) and you grow to be taller (she calls you a bean pole) and the day comes around where you’re finally strong enough to protect her… and it turns out that she’s the better fighter between you both.

It always feels like she’s better, and that feels right to you, even if she would protest, and say it was the opposite. 

You were young when Wyoming put a gun in your hand (you’d begged and pleaded for months) and she was just the same when Florida curled her fingers around her first knife. And together you leaned the things your family didn’t want you to know. 

She’s there at your side, quicker than you, slight and graceful as she moves. You’re a better shot, but she hates guns so that’s fine. Your hands are too big to handle knives the way she does. 

You grow and learn and you build a name for the two of you. Partners. Just like you’d always been. And things feel right. Her smile is always bright, even when it may not be kind, and her laugh sounds like bells, like something you can anchor to. 

You love your sister. And now you finally can protect her the way she deserves…. even if she doesn’t need your help. Never did.


	52. Bedtime Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tex finds herself making up stories... ones that feel so familiar.

The rotation of chores around the base was hardly anything stable. No one was ever around for a consistent amount of time (the mercs atleast) to make any one chore concrete. With everyone picking up the slack for everyone else, somethings got thrown up in the air and whoever grabbed them, got it done. 

There were a few exceptions though. No one was allowed to touch Gamma’s computers except for him, if anyone tried to organize the armory aside from South she’d kill them, and there was a specific list of people who could put the twins to bed. 

Somehow Tex had found herself on that list.

Not that she was complaining. She loved the two little ones, as much of a handful as they could be. When it was her turn to put them to bed, it went rather smoothly. 

She’d round them up, scooping the squirts up and carrying them to their room to get changed and ready for bed. Iota would cling to her, her little guy, while Eta chattered happily as she danced around the room. 

Tex would let them tire themselves out, would let Iota play with her hair while she brushed out his sister’s curls and eventually she’d get them into bed and ask if they wanted a story. They always did.

She knew that Delta told them stories about fairy tales, like Cinderella and Snow White. Carolina told them about super heros, people fighting bad guys to save the day. Tex, well she was a fan of the old princess and the knight tales, but they were hardly traditional. 

Eta loved the idea of the princess being the one to kick ass, to break out of her castle and go help a brave knight save the kingdom. Little princess herself to be honest. Got everyone wrapped around her finger and melting at her sweet smile. Iota, sweet boy, her sweet little Soldier, was always so fascinated by the stories with magic and dragons and epic tales of bravery. 

One story a night, from beginning to end Tex gave them, and when that was done it was time for bed. They cuddled up in their beds, trusty stuffed animals tucked in with them and Tex would kiss their foreheads and whispers goodnight.

They would tell her they loved her and she’d try not to melt. It was hopeless really. She was as gone for those two as she ever thought she could be. 

When she left them to sleep, heading back to her own room, or sometimes out on a job, she couldn’t help but remember, like a half hazed dream, telling those stories to someone else… but she could never picture their face.

Best to leave it for the little ones then. She’d tell them stories for as long as they’d have her.


	53. Clarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gamma and Theta are as different as can be.

Gamma absolutely could not understand his younger brother sometimes.

Theta seemed to have an endless supply of energy. He was forever running around the base, talking to this person and that, playing games and making noise. He always underfoot of the others, be it their siblings or the mercenaries, but never seems to be a bother.

Nothing like how Gamma felt he was.

He stayed withdrawn a lot, quiet as he interacted with people in his own way and time. More often than not he found himself listening, a comfortable background actor in the stage of whatever scene lay before him. While Theta easily took center stage.

He never understood how easy it was for Theta to just embody cheerfulness and energy when some days walking into the room and asking a single question took such a toll for himself. 

But for all he couldn’t understand, Gamma did know that he was one of the few people that Theta came to when he needed some time to be quiet. And those moments? When Theta would curl up next to him on the couch or in one of their rooms and quietly let Gamma play with his flyaway hair? 

Those moments were everything Gamma didn’t know how to ask for, and they rang with a perfect clarity.


	54. Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The older brothers of the Ai family make some decisions.

“He’s not waking up.”

Delta’s voice is hushed as he sits at Epsilon’s bedside, frowning at the too still, too pale form of his younger brother. 

“We’re aware of that, Delta,” Sigma rolls his eyes. He stood, leaning against the wall opposite Epsilon’s sick bed. He looked annoyed, but the red of his eyes were dark with concern. Omega sighs, rubbing at his own eyes. 

“We need to figure out what to do,” he murmurs, running a hand through his hair. He felt like tearing it out piece by piece with frustration. 

“Staying here is… unwise,” Delta volunteers softly, looking up to meet Omega’s gaze over the thin rims of his glasses. “The mercenaries have been so kind…”

“But we can’t stay here forever,” Omega agrees, nodding. “Yeah I hear you. But where are we going to go?”

“Back to the house,” Delta frowns. Sigma scoffs, rolling his eyes again. 

“Oh fucking please. We’re sitting ducks there! We need to be fucking safe!”

“And here is safe?” Delta demands, frowning. “Sigma you can’t possibly believe–”

“Oh but I can, big brother,” Sigma rolls his eyes again. “What’s so wrong with staying here? The twins are thrilled they get to see Carolina, Theta will cry if we take him away from North and South, and Gamma actually fucking spoke the other day. The compound is impenetrable, the mercs are our friends and they’ve all promised to help us. Why can’t we stay here?!”

Delta bites his lip and looks to Omega, who’d calmly been listening to everything their younger brother had said. After a long moment of silence he sighs and nods. 

“I’ll talk to Carolina.”

Sigma smirked, smug and pleased, while Delta worried his lip between his teeth. Omega rubbed at his eyes. 

God it was going to be a long day.


	55. Emily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Omega meets Dr. Grey.

He didn’t know what to make of her. The pretty woman who’d shown up one day with suitcases and a small moving van of medical equipment. 

She strode in with a smile, her dark hair hanging in loose curls around her face after she pulled off her helmet and she kindly informed them that she was to be their new medic. 

Carolina had blinked at her, couldn’t really get more than two words out before the woman was talking again, introducing herself and rattling off qualifications she possessed and how fascinating it was the volume of emergency calls the base gets and she just had to take a peek.

Omega had been in the kitchen, supervising the twins doing their homework when he got a proper glimpse. She was walking up the hall, her helmet tucked under her arm and chattering a mile a minute as Carolina followed and tried to get a word in edgewise, to question her to explain. 

“Oh don’t you worry, sweetie,” she’d said with a laugh that rang like bells. Her eyes were dark, but they sparkled. “I’m sure we’re all going to get along just fine!”

“You don’t seem to understand, Miss. Grey–” Once again Carolina was cut off, but another laugh and a dazzling smile.

“It’s Dr. Grey, sweetheart,” she corrected, turning to face her. “Or you can call me Emily. But not Miss. Never Miss.”

And she strode off again, seemingly already knowing where their medical wing was. Omega met Carolina’s gaze and blinked, and only received a shrug in return. 

Emily. Huh.


	56. Christmas Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tex might just strangle York with the lights.

“I’m going to strangle you with this string of lights,” Tex growls from across the room, struggling to get them around the tree. 

York blinks in surprise, pausing in his task of unpacking the rest of the decorations from a big box they’d brought up from storage. Why they even had this many directions when they hadn’t really celebrated the holidays in the few years they’d been a cohesive team he had no idea. But hey. Tis the season.

“Why am I being strangled?” York asks, setting out a wreath on the couch looking toward her. “I didn’t voulenteer for this either.”

“No, but you’re the one who was telling the Ai twins about Christmas trees, and you’re the one that got everyone on board to host Christmas for the kids. We don’t even get proper season on this fucking planet!” Tex growls, getting the string of lights right now.

“I didn’t hear you protesting when Iota was getting all excited about it,” York rolls his eyes. “Come on Tex, you saw their faces light right up at the prospect of a real Christmas.”

“It’s a time for family. We shouldn’t bother them,” She counters as she gets down from the ladder. 

“We are their family,” York frowns at her. How could she be in this pissy of a mood? It was an attitude he would have normally expected from South, but bitchy blonde one was surprisingly enthusiastic about all this when she saw how happy the idea had made Theta. 

“No,” Tex says, quiet now as she kneels down on the floor to dig through the box for another strand. “We’re not.”

For some reason he can’t place, Tex sounds sad.


	57. Wake-up call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theta has some issues reconciling the image of his baby sister with the merc he works with.

It honestly scared him to work along side her. 

Theta could hardly believe that this little thing, slim and yet fierce with a knife in her hand was still his baby sister. She slips into her gear and puts on the air of her mercenary persona and she becomes a completely different person. 

He’s seen her flirt and be sweet or seductive (which is always weird man, to run muscle for her when Iota is busy and she has to do shit like that, so weird) and he’s also seen her turn around and slit some poor bastards neck with a smile that could melt glaciers and a knife unseen. 

It always took him a bit after jobs to be able to look at her the same again, to be able to get the image of her straddling a mark and gleefully chattering to him as she cuts off the dude’s eyelids or carves marks into his skin. 

No matter the job though, no matter what she’s had to do, or what she knows he or any of the others has seen she’s in the kitchen the minute she has the chance to shower and change when they’re home again, baking. 

Brownies for York, cookies for the Twins, pound cake for Carolina and Tex, and batches on batches of cupcakes in everyone’s favorite flavors, all frosted with different colors. 

And Theta knows that even if she doesn’t seem like his baby sister in the field, all dressed in black and fierce and terrifying, that after she’ll be in one of Iota’s hoodies, drowning in the size of it with a plate of chocolate cupcakes, dressed up with iced pink roses at his door with a small smile and an offer of a movie to unwind.


	58. Struggling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Part 1 of 2)

It wasn’t often that he saw Delta cry.

Omega wasn’t sure how to handle the very thought of it let alone know what to do with the sight of his brother sitting in his room, curled in on himself, very clearly trying to suppress sobs. 

“Delta?" 

Delta doesn’t look up, shaking his head in his hands, shoulders shaking as well. Omega sighs and ignores the aches in his back from the double shift at the construction yard, and he drops his bag by the door. 

He moves silently to his bed, sitting down next to Delta and running a hand over his back. "I can’t help if you don’t fill me in,” he says quietly. 

They sit in silence, Delta’s thin frame shaking still as he cries quietly into his hands. Omega can’t do anything but try not to freak out and run his hand gently over his brother’s back. 

Finally, after what feels like forever Delta speaks.

“Theta’s fever won’t go down,” he whispers. “No matter what I do, nothing is working and he’s too sick to move.” An ache runs through Omega’s chest. 

“I thought he was feeling better,” he mutters, frowning. Delta sighs and sits up, shaking his head.

“He got worse after you left,” Delta rubs at his eyes, his glasses abandoned one the bed beside them. “I don’t know what to do Meg, there’s a cloud coming in and I’m not risking taking him out when he’s this sick.”

“We’ll figure it–”

“What if we don’t?” Delta asks, looking to Omega now. His eyes are red and sore looking. 

“We will,” Omega insists. “We have to Delta, we don’t have a choice." 

If Delta had a response to that, he didn’t get a chance to use it, interrupted by a soft knock on the door. They both look to the door to see that Epsilon is frowning at them.

"Theta’s asking for you,” he says softly, looking to Delta. Delta sighs and starts to get to his feet. Omega gets a hand on his brother’s shoulder and sighs. He may not be able to do much about the things they can’t control, but he can do this.

“I’ll go talk to Theta,” Omega looks between his brothers. “D, you go check on the twins, make sure that they’re not going stir crazy in their room. We can’t let them get sick, but if we don’t keep checking on them you know they’re going to try to get up to things. Ep, I need you to go start dinner. There are left overs in the fridge.”

Epsilon nods, not bothering to question his oldest brother. He turns and leaves the room as Delta looks up at Omega, tired and drained looking. 

“Meg…”

“No,” Omega shakes his head. “Don’t argue. Go cuddle the twins, read them a book, color with them. Just go take it easy. I can go check on Theta.”

He looks like he still wants to protest, but thankfully he merely sighs. Delta nods, running a hand through his hair before fixing his mess of a ponytail. “Alright,” he says softly. “We’ll get through it… right?”

Omega nods, moving to pull Delta into a hug before either of them went their separate ways. “Always, D. We always do.”


	59. Struggling (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Part 2 of 2)

“It’s like watching zombies,” Sigma comments dryly, walking into the kitchen with Eta on his hip. “You two need fucking sleep.”

“Don’t curse in front of Eta,” Delta protests tiredly, not even looking up from his mug of coffee. There were dark circles under his eyes and his glasses were sitting low on his nose. Omega doesn’t even lift his head from the table, clearly half asleep.

Sigma rolls his eyes and then turns his attention to Eta as she gets a tiny toddler fist in his hair. “Yes, bug I’m paying attention to you. Apple sauce, I remember what we came in here for.”

“Where’s Io?” Omega asks, voice muffled by his arms. 

“Bathtime,” Sigma says, moving to the fridge to get a sippy cup for Eta as well as a container of apple sauce. “Ep’s finishing up with him. Rugrat got paint in his hair.”

“Paint?” Delta looks up frowning. ‘Why was there paint?“

"Because they were bored,” Sigma shrugs. “You two have been so busy with Theta. We had to keep them entertained. And now that he’s feeling better you two need to sleep.”

“He’s still sick,” Omega sighs, rubbing at his eyes. 

“His fever broke, his cough subsided and he’s finally sleeping,” Sigma rolls his eyes, handing Eta the cup. “You two are hardly any use to the kids dead on your feet.”

“Zombie,” Eta says, nodding knowingly, even as it’s clear she’s just mimicking Sigma from earlier. He grins and kisses his sister’s cheek. 

“Exactly, E. Zombies."


	60. Teething

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The poor little twins are teething

“Hush now,” Delta soothed to Eta, holding her close as he paced the floor of the living room. “It’s okay, E. I know it hurts.” The little girl just whimpers in response and curls tighter into her brother’s chest. Thunder crackles loudly outside, the plague storm raging fiercely.

Omega runs a tired hand over his face, careful not to rouse Iota, sleepy and pliant on his chest. “Eta, honey, you need to sleep,” he says softly, shifting carefully on the couch and motioning for Delta to sit down with him. He looked dead on his feet. 

“Teething and the worst storm in years,” Delta sighs, shaking his head as he sits down. Eta is crying silently now as she cuddles into the combined warmth and comfort of her brothers. “We can’t seem to catch a break Meg.”

“You need to take a break,” Omega says softly, carding a gentle hand through Iota’s curls, lulling his baby brother to sleep, finally. “You’ve been up since last night, D.”

“You have work in the morning,” Delta counters softly, smoothing a hand over Eta’s back. “And you worked all day today.”

“I won’t have to go in if the storm keeps up,” Omega points out, looking to his brother. Delta hums quietly in agreement, shifting closer and leaning over to he was resting his head on his brother’s shoulder. “Though,” Omega says, frowning, “I really need to go in. Pain killers are expensive… I can’t keep waiting this out with them D, it’s killing me to see them hurting.”

“I know,” Delta whispers, holding Eta a little closer. She was finally settling down in spite of the pain from teething and the storm scaring her. “I know.”

Omega sighs and slips an arm around Delta’s shoulders, shifting so he was able to cuddle them all in his arms. “We’ll figure it out,” he promises, kissing the top of Iota’s head. “We always do.”


	61. Enter: Texas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niner meets Tex. Sorta.

“Who’s the stiff?”

Carolina looks over the top of her datapad at the sound of Niner’s voice. She sounded interested, her gaze very clearly set across the garage to where Tex was working on her bike.

“Tex,” Carolina says, dismissive, her attention already back on the tablet. She needed to pair through which jobs to float toward some of the others and which ones needed Connie’s check over that a total psycho wasn’t going after any of them.

“That’s hardly an answer,” Niner rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “Give me something more, Boss.”

“She’s The Soldier,” Carolina shrugs. “As far as I can tell she’s alright. Just showed up one day and I can’t seem to get fucking rid of her. Eventually stopped trying. I’ve got better things to do.”

“Your codenames are all bullshit,” Niner snorts, shaking her head.

“Watch it, Leilani,” Carolina smirks, glancing to her. “Like you call sign is any better.”

“Mine’s badass, shut up,” She rolls her eyes before focusing back in on how Tex was leaning over her bike, body molded to the sleek curves of the beautiful machine.

“If you start pining or lusting and don’t do anything about it then leave,” Carolina says, bored. “I’ve got enough of that shit from York over Recovery. I don’t need it from you too.”

There was no response. Niner was too focused on watching Tex now. Carolina felt like bashing her head against the data pad. Great. Just what she needed.


End file.
